(01-09-2015 08:24 AM)devilsadvoc8 Wrote: I took the OP as more specific to this forum. I've certainly noticed a change over time to more name calling and stereotyping in the discourse in the forums here.

Maybe it is the political environment in the US and the world but one of the biggest examples I see in this forum that occurs right now is the label of conservative/liberal being tossed around with impunity while other labels are challenged (e.g. atheist).

I can't speak to the original environment, but I detest "concern trolling" (thank you CJLR for the term I was seeking), and I maintain that we still do an excellent job of distinguishing between people who merely wish to have an honest conversation and those who think it's okay to come here and spam us, lie in the name of Gawd, and/or otherwise harass us with disrespectful inanity.

I said before, I don't see any difference between political discourse now and in the early USA... heck, between now and the Roman Republic. A little less backstabbing nowdays, in the non-metaphorical sense, perhaps, but human nature has not changed.

As far as the liberal/conservative labels, I see not one shred of evidence to suggest that anyone is misapplying the labels, or that any of us really think that anyone is 100% liberal or conservative. We had an excellent thread about our actual (vs perceived) political affiliations, and the ways in which or brains can fool us into accepting a particular worldview, political or otherwise.

And again, I feel I must repeat: The ONLY reason the people are eben here to be ridiculed, etc, is because we are astoundingly tolerant about dissenters. Only whe they prove they are not interested in reasonable discussion but feel it's okay to "poke the atheists" (Lying for Jesus is still lying!) do we start to attack that person.

In other words, think about WHY and HOW it is that Blowjob here can 1) even be here with such a username and proile, and 2) complain about our intolerance.

"Theology made no provision for evolution. The biblical authors had missed the most important revelation of all! Could it be that they were not really privy to the thoughts of God?" - E. O. Wilson

(31-08-2015 09:16 PM)The Drake Wrote: Perhaps I'm being idealistically nostalgic (selective memory ?). But I do remember a time when I could debate the issues of atheism/theology, science/religion, and fact/faith without resorting to the name calling...liberal vs conservative...divisive BS into which THE conversation has degenerated. Issues once debated in a civil manner by great minds have now become petty bickering points in a seemingly endless US vs THEM mentality. Your thoughts and comments, please.

I always try to match the tempo and attitude of the person I am talking to. If they enter the room kicking in the door throwing down a challenge like our dear friend COTW, then I match that tone. If they would enter the room and open up dialogue, I would, and have before, enter civil intelligent discourse. I do agree that the tendency here seems to be a bit short on patience before the boots starts dropping on skulls, and I would surmise that anyone watching who is considering entering and engaging would choose otherwise. That is unfortunate. It would be nice if we got some more intelligent theists (no, there are some actually hehe) that would enter and we could civilly exchange different perspective and worldviews, but the flavor we tend to get lately is the batshit crazies like qqq.

"Belief is so often the death of reason" - Qyburn, Game of Thrones

"The Christian community continues to exist because the conclusions of the critical study of the Bible are largely withheld from them." -Hans Conzelmann (1915-1989)

(31-08-2015 09:16 PM)The Drake Wrote: Perhaps I'm being idealistically nostalgic (selective memory ?). But I do remember a time when I could debate the issues of atheism/theology, science/religion, and fact/faith without resorting to the name calling...liberal vs conservative...divisive BS into which THE conversation has degenerated. Issues once debated in a civil manner by great minds have now become petty bickering points in a seemingly endless US vs THEM mentality. Your thoughts and comments, please.

I go to different sites for that. Honestly, if a person puts forth a reasoned argument without a pretentious or condescending attitude, most people do respond fairly civilly. We just tend to lose patience with trolls and assholes.

(01-09-2015 11:15 AM)goodwithoutgod Wrote: It would be nice if we got some more intelligent theists (no, there are some actually hehe) that would enter and we could civilly exchange different perspective and worldviews, but the flavor we tend to get lately is the batshit crazies like qqq.

We get some but their timing usually sucks, like posting when peeps like Taq are active. And yet it seems that their faith inevitably breaks weak, and they screw. We actually had a Mormon biblical scholar for a bit, but he got Chas-tized.

KC is the sole survivor. And even he doesn't wanna talk about it. Seems to confirm that without continual positive reinforcement, faith falls.

Just read some of the essays and OpEds published in papers or spoken by politicians during the collapse of the economy, through the Depression, and on into the New Deal. It will blow your mind, some of the things that they said, in a time when it was unheard of to even swear in public.

Point taken. But unlike then, we are exposed to it 24/7. Where before you may have heard about it second or third hand.

(01-09-2015 10:55 AM)RocketSurgeon76 Wrote: [quote='devilsadvoc8' pid='845895' dateline='1441117481']
I took the OP as more specific to this forum. I've certainly noticed a change over time to more name calling and stereotyping in the discourse in the forums here.

Actually I wasn't being specific to this forum. It was more of a comment on public discourse. Our ability to intelligently debate an issue has degenerated to the point that someone like Donald Trump is a presidential candidate.

(01-09-2015 03:27 AM)Banjo Wrote: Oh yes, the time when we were all civil, the 20th century. WWI & II, Korea, The Spanish civil war, Vietnam, The Middle East, Falklands, the cold war.....

What planet you living on Drake????

Sorry, Banjo...too idealistic ? Actually we've come a long way since those (not sure about the middle east). I'm talking more about the recent attitude. We seem to be going backwards. I'm a proud citizen of planet Earth. And although Mars looks cool, it would be a really crappy place to live. So I'd like to stay on Earth and do what I can to keep other people from blowing it up.